wurden

Wurden is the simple past tense (Präteritum) form of the German verb werden. It is used in two main ways: as the past tense of “to become” for plural subjects (wir wurden, sie wurden, Sie wurden) and as the past-tense auxiliary for forming the passive voice (for example in the past: Es wurden Fehler gemacht).

Conjugation and usage examples illustrate its dual role. As a passive auxiliary in the past, werden combines with a past participle: Der Brief wurde geschrieben (The letter was written). For plural subjects this becomes Die Briefe wurden geschrieben (The letters were written). In the sense of becoming, wur­den can appear with plural subjects as well: Sie wurden müde (They became tired).

A common point of confusion is with würden, the Konjunktiv II form of werden, which expresses hypothetical or conditional meaning (er würde gehen — he would go). Wur­den, by contrast, is a finite past tense form and not a subjunctive.

Etymology and related forms: wur­den derives from the Old High German werdan/werdan, with cognates in other West Germanic languages, such as Dutch worden. The modern German forms reflect regular Präteritum patterns for the verb werden.

See also: werden, Passiv, Konjunktiv II.